Casa Geraldo

About Casa Geraldo

Casa Geraldo is a wine producer from southern Minas Gerais, a Brazilian state more traditionally associated with coffee than with wine. The estate works around Andradas, near the Serra da Mantiqueira. It is among the producers demonstrating that this elevated area can have a distinct role in contemporary Brazilian wine, through both still and sparkling bottlings.

The region has a tropical climate, with a markedly wet summer and a drier, cooler winter. For quality wine, the winter growing cycle is particularly important. Pruning at two points in the year can shift grape ripening and harvest into the dry winter; in Brazil this is known as dupla poda, or double pruning. Sunny days, cool nights and limited rainfall at harvest can help varieties such as Cabernet Franc retain perfume and freshness while achieving colour and riper tannins. This creates a very different setting from the traditional temperate vineyard regions of southern Brazil.

Cabernet Franc is a key red variety for Casa Geraldo. Its Colheita de Inverno Gran Reserva Cabernet Franc expresses the potential of winter harvesting in a dry red wine generally marked by red and dark fruit, spice, floral notes and a lively line of acidity. The aim is ripeness without sacrificing energy. The range also includes a Prosecco Brut made from Glera. This sparkling wine represents the brighter, more immediate side of the house: apple and citrus fruit, light floral character and a dry finish.

Casa Geraldo is therefore best understood through the combination of Minas Gerais, winter-harvest viticulture and approachable wine styles. Beyond Cabernet Franc and Glera, varieties such as Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier also fit the broader picture of viticulture in this highland area. Rather than treating the producer as an imitation of a European region, it is more useful to see it as a winery working with the local season and climate on their own terms.

• Based around Andradas in southern Minas Gerais
• The Serra da Mantiqueira provides elevation and cooler nights
• Dupla poda shifts red-grape harvest into the dry winter
• Cabernet Franc is central to the Colheita de Inverno range
• Prosecco Brut is made from Glera